Friday, April 29, 2016

The yarn isAmerico's
Original Winter Flamme, in Bordeaux and Petrol Blue which is 69% Superfine Alpaca and 31% wool. Both colours are dense and saturated. The yarn is textured and slightly hairy.

The wrap is worked starting from one narrow point. The stitches
increase on one side and decrease on the opposite edge. This method
creates a triangle with long points to wrap around your neck, tie or pin
into place. The stripes are worked in a textural stitch to create a
reversible fabric. The combination of a blended alpaca and wool yarn
knitted at a loose gauge creates a very soft fabric with drape.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

She was very disappointed in my yarn choice. We didn't get a chance for a full discussion but I did leave thinking it was an odd reaction since initially she was very complimentary when she saw the garment. I may have misinterpreted but it appeared my yarn choice just wasn't upscale enough for her tastes. It also seemed a little strange since 100% worsted weight wool seems to me to be one of the very easy substitutes. I used Wool of the Andes Superwash however, when I was asked, I forgot to say it was the Superwash so I know that wasn't the reason. I know many knitters don't like Superwash but I do. I like it's softer hand and drape. I've never had a problem with the growth issue I read about on Ravelry. I will say, I do squeeze out most of the moisture with a towel before I handle the garment to avoid stressing and stretching the fabric.I expect that the yarn snob factor does play into to our yarn choices (mine included) but my experience is that price does not always equal quality. Price is what the market will bear.

So for comparison sake here's a few equivalent yarns and their prices. I've adjusted for put-up size basing everything on 50 gram balls. I used only Superwash in the examples because it is more expensive than non Superwash due to the extra processing. I used prices in US dollars. I found the equivalents on yarnsub.com.

Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Superwash $5.10

Classic Elite Yarns Liberty Wool $4.48

Knit One, Crochet Too Ty-Dy Wool $4.50

Ella Rae Classic Superwash $3.14

Rowan Pure Wool Superwash Worsted $5.75

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash$3.69

When you multiply prices over the cost required for a whole sweater this can be significant and of course the size required has an impact as well.

I realized when I created this list my own preconceived ideas played into my assumptions. I expected the Rowan to be the most expensive and it is. I thought Brown Sheep was a lower end product, yet it is the second highest price. I have a friend who loves the Ella Rae line and who is very focused on quality so the lowest price on the list was a surprise. I'm realizing that the only way to truly compare is with hands on experimentation.

The Knit Picks example is fascinating because their business model is unique. From their website:

All the other yarns come from a manufacturer before landing at the online sites where I took prices from. The Knit Picks model skips the intermediate step with yarn which accounts for their lower pricing.

Monday, April 25, 2016

Spring finally seems to be arriving here in Toronto, which has me thinking about gardening, which leads me to bugs. It's amazing how much trouble even a container gardener who is high up, has with bugs. This year I'm trying the waspinator. Last summer I had lots of them visiting and I'll see how this works.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Once
a week I post interviews with interesting people about their insights
on their experience of working in the Knitting industry. I’ve noticed
that every one of these individuals makes their living in a slightly
different manner bringing their own unique presence to the knitting
world.

That's hard to say. I'm very technique driven so I guess I find most of
my inspiration by playing with techniques and then trying to picture
how they would work with a garment once I've stumbled upon one I like.
Cables are very different for me, however.
I find designing cables to be kind of like painting - I just have this
intuition about how to put them together, to get them to flow, and just
let my pen take me on a journey as I sketch.

What is your favourite knitting technique?

Probably double-knitting - you can do so much with it. You can do
things with it people can't even imagine: cables that look completely
different on each side, contrasting yarn overs, mixing lace with
colorwork, having cables just appear out of nowhere and disappear
again, and so much more. I feel like I haven't even scratched the
surface of what double-knitting can offer, and I'm extremely eager to
start the exploration once more.

How did you determine your size range?

Generally I stick to accessories so it isn't an issue. When I do do
sizing I try to be as inclusive as possible but oftentimes the technique
or pattern will dictate it. One can only go so small with certain
stitch patterns and I'd rather not compromise my
design to be more inclusive in my sizing.

Do you look at other designers’ work or are you afraid that you will be influenced by their designs?

I do look at other designers' work but not for inspiration, more because
I enjoy looking at knitwear and find some designs to be quite stunning.
I have no fear that I will be influenced by other designs - my designs
tend to come about from me playing with
techniques. I do often utilize stitch dictionaries to fill in or
modify my designs, however. They're an invaluable resource.

This cowl will be published some time in the future

How do you feel about the so called controversy of “dumbing down” patterns for knitters?

I was unaware that there was a controversy. I can't say I really "dumb
down" my patterns, but then I'm not quite certain what that means in
this context. I do try to think about the difficulty level of a pattern
and include instructions in an easier pattern
that I might not include in a more advanced pattern, but as far as I
know that's common practice. I also list out the techniques that will
be used on the pattern page on Ravelry so that people know what they'll
be getting themselves into. In the future I
hope to make some video tutorials of various techniques in order to be
even more inclusive with my designs.

How many sample/test knitters do you have working for you or do you do it all yourself?

I have a friend of mine who's sample knit a pattern before, but usually I
do everything myself. I enjoy utilizing test knitters, however, but
don't have a particular set of test knitters I use for every project.

Did you do a formal business plan?

Not yet, but I have some ideas of where I'd like to go with this business
in the future. I keep a journal of design ideas and industry ideas and
then look for ways to implement them with my knitting, work, and family
schedules.

I have friends that I sometimes bounce ideas off of or ask for advice.
Sometimes one of them will give me a great idea and then I'll figure
out how to implement it. I guess to answer your question, I don't
really feel like I have a mentor so much as really
good friends.

Do you use a tech editor?

Technically? Part of my wife's day job is as a technical writer and
editor, so I'll often have her look over patterns before I do anything
with them. I also go over my own patterns with a fine tooth comb. I
find test knitters to be the most valuable resource
when it comes to tech editing, however.

How do you maintain your life/work balance?

It helps that my wife knits and that my entire social circle consists of
knitters. I generally only work on the parts of this business where I
have to ignore people when I legitimately have time to myself. Could I
get more done by actually ignoring the people
I love? Definitely, but I wouldn't be nearly as happy.

I try to take it as it is and evaluate it, see if myself or others find
it to be legitimate. If it is, then I look for ways to change it. If
it isn't then I do my best to ignore it.

What’s next for you?

I have a lot of ideas for designs I'm hoping
to pursue. I've spent a lot of my time thus far playing with
techniques and feel I've innovated a few, but now I think it's time to
take a step back and create more designs with the
techniques I've discovered rather than continue to push my boundaries,
at least for awhile. I'm also hoping to play with dyeing yarn in the
near future and am looking forward to integrating my designs with
colorways I've actually created.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

One of the fun things about Knit nights with friends and in yarn shops is that I get to hear what other knitters are thinking. I've heard some very funny comments about pattern length in relationship to how knitters choose what to knit. We tend to have mental short cuts which are often referred to as cognitive biases. I love this stuff, it plays to my interest in psychology and why people make the decisions they do.

There's an explanation and a gigantic list of examples here on Wikipedia.One of the ones I've heard often, especially with newer knitters is "length of pattern equals complexity". As a pattern writer I know this shortcut has the kernel of truth which starts the bias but unfortunately it just doesn't hold up with the changing world.

The example above falls into the category of a simple one page pattern. It's one size, hasn't got a schematic and the stitch pattern is charted. However, for a knitter who doesn't use charts there would still be a learning curve. No text instructions for a stitch pattern makes the pattern length much shorter.

Most yarn company patterns are brief as well because there are printing costs for those freebies. They are brief for some other reasons as well. Size ranges are often very limited, there is no technique support and often the pattern is in stocking stitch or garter. The pattern world has changed with consumer demand and the availability of PDF downloads. Knitters want patterns to write out mirror image shaping, so we do. They want techniques to be explained in the pattern, so we write them out or supply a link to more detailed information. Size ranges of less than six are considered to be substandard. In my own case I have done several patterns where grading meant I wrote separate sections by size to assist the knitter in establishing a stitch pattern. Many of my patterns have both text and charted stitch patterns. Here's another simple pattern which is five pages in length.

Monday, April 18, 2016

I'm knitting again but I'm choosing my projects very carefully. I seem to do better with yarns with good elasticity. In retrospect I had been working on a cotton top when the De Quervain's Tenosynovitis kicked in again. I've been doing the massage, stretching and rubber ball exercises that I mentioned in my last post on this topic. I think cables may be out for a while. At the moment I'm working on items with knit-purl texture stitches and I might be forced to try some plain old boring stocking stitch. I'll have to add stripes or something to keep me interested. I tried swatching a bulky yarn on a 10 mm. I was thinking a large needle might be easier but the pain started up by Row 8. If you want to know more about De Quervain's, there's more info on Pinterest here.Many thanks to all of you who sympathized with my frustration. Since I started knitting again I'm feeling much more normal.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Once
a week I post interviews with interesting people about their insights
on their experience of working in the Knitting industry. I’ve noticed
that every one of these individuals makes their living in a slightly
different manner bringing their own unique presence to the knitting
world.

Where do you find inspiration?I am not someone who goes “There's a tree! I'll make a scarf!” -
instead I notice things like the bark having a specific structure or
how ice crystals form patterns on leaves. I basically try to keep my
eyes open, as you can see the most marvelous things if you really
look. For instance I really love a specific pedestrian footpath over
the motorway here in Glasgow – its combination of colour and form
is fantastic.

What is your favourite knitting technique?I have a very
soft spot for Estonian lace, though I've never actually designed any.
It's the way they play with the concept of 'stitch'. How did you determine your size range?I've worked a lot
with third-party publishing and they ask for a large size range, so
it's natural for me to think of garments in seven sizes and at least two
sizes for accessories.

Do you look at other designers’ work or are you afraid that you will be influenced by their designs?There
is definitely a clear difference between
technical and aesthetic decisions. Because of my working life and my
career path, I've spent a lot of time editing or working with other
designers. I find it interesting to see how they make technical
decisions. Aesthetic decisions? I don't find them nearly as interesting. How do you feel about the so called controversy of “dumbing down” patterns for knitters?At
the end of the day my job is to make sure that as many people as
possible can follow my patterns. There is a difference between
hand-holding (or "dumbing down") and making patterns accessible. Again,
it's about understanding who you are as a designer, knowing your
audience, and writing clear patterns. I don't tend to write entry level
patterns but I admire those who can write them. How many sample/test knitters do you have working for you or do you do it all yourself?I
try to knit everything myself. I much prefer that. I've only had a
couple of people help me out when I over-committed to deadlines - but
it's not something I'm entirely comfortable doing. Did you do a formal business plan?Yep. And I keep adjusting it. Do you have a mentor?Yes, I’ve been mentored. It was an organic situation where I met some people who had been in
the industry for a long time and they sat down to ask me some hard
questions about some choices I had made. I found our conversations
really useful - I thought it’d be me asking them questions but it turned
out to be the other way around. I didn’t pay for the mentoring and our
conversations grew into lasting friendships. They still ask me hard
questions but that’s great - I learn & grow from that. I’ve also
helped out some new designers, though I’m not really in a position to
mentor anyone.

Do you have a business model that you have emulated?Not really. I think we all bring something different to the table and it's all about sussing out what makes your business work.

Do you use a tech editor?Oh
heck, yes. I'm always slightly shocked when I hear people don't use
one. Editors are like that person who comes in after you've spent the
entire day cooking and who'll tell you that you need to add a touch of
salt. Tech editors make me both a better designer and a better pattern
writer.How do you maintain your life/work balance?I have set office times and I've recently hired admin help. How do you deal with criticism?I think of it as invaluable learning experience. I try to keep getting better at myself and feedback is fantastic. How long did it take for you to be able to support yourself?I
worked p/t for a yarn company for nearly 5 years before going fully
self-employed. I probably could have launched sooner but I learned so
much from my p/t job. I was able to support myself by the time I
launched full-time. What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue a career in knitting?Work
in the knitting industry in various capacities before going for it
full-time. I learned so much from doing pattern support for a yarn
company, working with buy plans, looking at sales figures, figuring out
how to put together collections, and working with absolute pros. Heck,
just try working in a yarn shop for a few hours here and there.

What’s next for you?I'm
in the process of some major changes to my business. I'm taking on some
staff and I'm working on a pretty big project that's due to launch.
It's exciting and a bit scary!

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Knitters struggle with fit partially because they lack the fully detailed information which is available to sewers. There's a great online article here on the Threads site.

Students often ask me where to find these resources so I'd like to share a few of the highlights and images here, but please do go read the article in it's entirety. The article focuses on armholes, however the bodice fitting details are very helpful for your understanding of fit.

Understanding the terminology of fit.

"People
with identical bust and over-bust measurements often fit into the same
size and style pattern differently. The shape of your body depends on where you carry
your flesh and dictates the shape of an armhole. A muslin is the testing
ground-it's the perfect place to sort out fit issues."

This is important to your understanding. I'm a 37 inch bust but my frame size is often smaller than a 35 inch bust measurements.

"And the only way I know to successfully fit an armhole is to use a muslin."

Measuring off the body is very difficult it gives you a starting point but fitting with a garment is the only way to understand the three dimensional nature of your shape.

"A muslin tells you more than your measurements alone do."

Use your existing garments to figure some of this out.

"Most patterns are cut too low under the arm."

If it's too big you can still wear it. Too small and you can't.

"Changing your shoulder seam is a judgment
call. The seam should lie along the top of the shoulder at a place that
balances the body front to back and follows the natural slope of the
shoulder. The shoulder point falls on the shoulder seam at the exact
place the arm and shoulder come together-at the dent that forms when you
lift your arm."

I usually use the small bone which protrudes at the back of the shoulder. This way works too.

I know most knitters don't want to go through the process of creating a fitting muslin. Understanding these fitting standards and adjustments will help you to use a more critical eye when assessing your garments and the pattern schematics. It's best to develop your knowledge slowly. I made many garments and studied pattern drafting to grow my understanding and you can too!

Monday, April 11, 2016

I'm not a big fan of pattern difficulty ratings. I feel they are too vague. The only knitters they really work for are the experienced ones. They are the knitters who have the knowledge to understand what descriptions like "Easy: Projects using basic stitches, repetitive stitch patterns, simple color changes, and simple shaping and finishing" really mean. What I think a basic stitch is and what another knitter thinks it is, varies widely based on their previous knitting experience. I list an experience level in my patterns, but only because it's become a standard to do so and Ravelry and Patternfish make me.

I've already had a test knitter suggest I up a difficultly rating on a sample she knit for me. I did because I trust her judgement and she is an amazing knitter. I list the skills required in each pattern so knitters can more easily determine if the pattern is one they want to try. Many of my patterns include the skill: maintaining
a stitch pattern while working shaping.

Whenknitting your first projects, often a scarf, which has no shaping, you continue knitting on the same number of stitches you cast on. Every row of the stitch
pattern will begin and end as written in your pattern. Once you are ready to move on to other projects you will
increase or decrease stitches to create shaping and patterns will say "while maintaining stitch
pattern...".
Now you have additional stitches outside of the pattern repeat. With some stitches it is very clear, you can look at your
knitting and easily see where you are within the stitch pattern. An example would be cable stitches worked in straight vertical columns. Patterns do try to give specific directions for every detail,
but sometimes the best option is to establish a stitch
pattern and have the knitter keep it going. Often this is impacted by the size range. The more sizes, the more instructions and pattern pages which would be required to detail every size individually.

It's important to learn to understand your stitch pattern and understand by
looking at your knitting what comes next. Most knitters refer to this as reading your knitting. Your first opportunity to do this is on your swatch. When you knit the swatch, pay attention not just to following the stitch instructions but also to how each stitch relates to the ones on either side and below. Chart instructions naturally encourage knitters to understand this relationship, which is why they are so popular.

As you can see in the above photo, it can get much more complicated. Essentially what you are being asked to do is to think ahead of the knitting and understand how future rows relate to the row you are currently knitting and adding or removing stitches from. I'll be continuing this topic in future, so please check back for more.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Once
a week I post interviews with interesting people about their insights
on their experience of working in the Knitting industry. I’ve noticed
that every one of these individuals makes their living in a slightly
different manner bringing their own unique presence to the knitting
world.

Where do you find inspiration? Sometimes a design element on a
stranger’s clothes on the street caught my eye, sometimes one just pops
up in my mind. The design element can be a motif, a shape or a feature
like a particular cable or keyhole.

What is your favourite knitting technique? I enjoy seamless knits
and stockinette stitch. Although seams are useful in some cases, I
consider it a major advantage of knitting to be able to seamlessly shape
garments to fit.

How did you determine your size range? As I’m quite petite by
standard sizing (one of the main reasons I started to learn to make my
own clothes), I make that the starting size. And then I add a few sizes,
usually in 2” (bust circumference) increments. I would like to include
even more bigger sizes but I find that the seamless knits/style I
usually design do not seem to work out as well on bigger sizes.

Do you look at other designers’ work or are you afraid that you will be influenced by their designs? I
enjoy checking them out when they come within my radar, because it is a
fun way to try something new. I also enjoy a break from designing and
being able to knit mindlessly once in a while.

How do you feel about the so called controversy of “dumbing down” patterns for knitters? I
do not think it is a bad thing at all. In my opinion, a good pattern
should have sufficient information for a knitter to complete his/her
project without needing a knitting encyclopedia, especially when a
specific technique is included. For example, there is a whole range of
ways to make increases so it will be nice, as a knitter looking to
unwind with some knitting, not to have to figure it out by scrutinizing
the model or spend an hour researching. Also, the knitting scene is so
international these days, I think having a comprehensive and well
explained pattern is extremely helpful to those whose native language is
different from the one used in the pattern.

How many sample/test knitters do you have working for you or do you do it all yourself? I have a list of contacts who have expressed interest in testing my designs. I try to take 1 or 2 testers for each size.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

I've been asked a few times to add more detail in the form of some photos to this post from 2012. You can see in the photos above, the corss back is almost 16 inches.

The original post:

Shoulders
that stretch out of shape are a frustration to many knitters. On cut
and sew knit garments sewers are taught to use a piece of clear elastic
which is sewn right into the seam. Normally it is pinned into place
after being stretched out about 1/2 inch. It draws the shoulder up
slightly without gathering it. The real advantage is when the sleeve is
sewn in place. The elastic counteracts the tendency of the sleeve's
weight to pull the shoulder down.

I've got two methods that work the
same way for knitters. The first is to use your project yarn and a
crochet hook. Measure the length of your shoulder seam, let's say it is
4.5 inches. Pin your shoulder seam down on a firm pillow and squeeze it
up to 4 inches, then using your crochet hook, create a chain along the
seam drawing it up the 1/2 inch.

If you no longer have any of your
project yarn you can use thread. Put a double strand through the needle
so that you have four strands in total after knotting the end. Anchor it
firmly and after using the same pillow trick to stabilize the seam,
stitch along the edge of the seam making a knot every inch or so to
compress the seam down. If it puckers on the outside you have gone to
far, however depending on your gauge you should be able to easily remove
1/2 inch and often you can get up to 1 inch or more in total out of the seam
length.

If the neckline is wide enough you can crochet or sew across the back neck to eliminate even more width there. In the shot below you can see I have compressed the cross shoulder down to 14.5 inches. I got about 1/2 inch out of each shoulder and and an additional 1/2 inch from the back neck. I've used a black cotton so you can see what I've done and so I can pull this back out. In a matching yarn this would be far less visible.

About Me

email contact robinknits(AT)gmail(dot)com
I've been knitting my whole life. I don't even remember learning. I started making garments for myself in my teens and then explored sewing, tailoring and millinery. I want to teach knitters about fit and flattery and turn them into fashion stars!
On my blog you will find lots of interviews with knitting industry professionals, how to tutorials and a variety of posts about what's going on in the knitting world.
I love to come out and speak at shops and guilds. Here's what the Downtown Knit collective said after one of my talks:
“Robin Hunter’s inspiring talk, “The Barbie Factor,” left everyone in a feel-good mood at the conclusion of the May meeting. Heads were nodding in agreement all around ... as she tackled a multi-faced problem faced by many knitters—why don’t we knit for ourselves? She touched on many topics including fashion, body image, media and how it all relates back to our knitting.”
You can see my patterns on http://www.patternfish.com/des/robin_hunter and you can find me on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/people/knittingrobin
My YouTube channel is here:http://www.youtube.com/user/robinknits?feature=mhee